DC Comics' Hanna-Barbera Crossover Variant Covers Take Us Back to the '70s (Exclusive)

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Last year, DC Comics took their greatest heroes and paired them with characters from the rich history of animated Hanna-Barbera Saturday morning cartoons from the '60s, for a series of wild adventures across space and time. And recently, the publisher announced plans to release four new one-shot comics bringing some of DC’s most exciting heroes together with well-known characters from the world of Hanna-Barbera cartoons, this time from the groovy 1970s.

All four of these books will be available at comic book retailers and digitally on May 30; each one-shot will be 48 pages long and cost $4.99. We have an exclusive look at the variant covers for these special issues, and you can view them below along with each book's synopsis.

AQUAMAN/JABBERJAW SPECIAL #1

Variant cover by Joshua Middleton

In a story by Aquamanwriter Dan Abnett with art by Paul Pelletier and Andrew Hennessey, the town of Amnesty Island is besieged by a series of shark attacks, and the authorities call Aquaman for help. What’s unusual about this case is the shark isn’t trying to kill people—he just wants to talk to them. All Jabberjaw wants is to get back to Aqualand. But that peaceful city where man and sentient sea life have been living in harmony has been turned into a dystopian nightmare created by a new Ocean Master! Now the King of Atlantis and his friendly shark ally must join forces to set things right. This one-shot also includes a bonus short story by Jeff Parker and Scott Kolins that tells the tale of the first-ever meeting between Captain Caveman, the Spectre, and the wizard Shazam.

BLACK LIGHTNING/HONG KONG PHOOEY SPECIAL #1

Variant cover by Chris Cross

Back from Vietnam, kung-fu master Hong Kong Phooey has set up his own detective agency in the inner city. Meanwhile, Jefferson Pierce (a.k.a. Black Lightning) has uncovered a plot by three assassins to collect the components of a sacred text revealing the darkest secrets of martial arts magic, and they’ll kill anyone who owns them—including the dog who holds the last chapter of the book, Hong Kong Phooey. Michael Cray's Bryan Hill, Denys Cowan, and Bill Sienkiewicz are delivering a story with all the power of a roundhouse kick to the chops. Plus, Parker and Kolins are back with a bonus story featuring a pre-Demon Jason Blood and Hanna-Barbera’s own “Spirit of ’76,” the Funky Phantom.

THE FLASH/SPEED BUGGY SPECIAL #1

Variant cover by Ivan Reis

Red Hood and the Outlaws scribe Scott Lobdell, along with Brett Booth and Norm Rapmund, is gearing up to deliver a rubber-burning story that pushes all the way into the redline. When Wally West tries to take down the villain Kilg%re, he’s surprised to find he has an unknown ally who can move just as fast as he can. Dr. Pernell, a brilliant S.T.A.R. Labs scientist, has found a way to power his dune buggy using the Speed Force. When the Flash agrees to help test the limits of the vehicle in a race, something unexpected sends them spiraling out of the Speed Force and into the unknown. They land in a post-apocalyptic future, but Dr. Pernell is missing, leaving a now-sentient Speed Buggy to help the Fastest Man Alive repair the time stream and stop the triple threat of Savitar, Speed Demon Buggy, and… Reverse Speed Buggy?

SUPER SONS/DYNOMUTT SPECIAL #1

Variant cover by Doug Mahnke

It’s no fun for Jon Kent to be visiting Big City with his parents for the funeral of an old friend, so his best pal Damian Wayne decides to follow along and give him the inside scoop on the city. But when they go to meet Robin’s local friend, Dynomutt, they find him injured and in need of help. And Dynomutt’s human superhero companion, Blue Falcon, has seemingly turned evil. What’s the reason for this betrayal between once-loyal companions, and what role might the evil Red Vulture play in this scenario? Fan-favorite Super Sons writer Peter J. Tomasi and artists Fernando Pasarin and Oclair Albert tell this story about the first encounter of the Dog Wonder with the sons of the Man of Steel and the Dark Knight.

Are you excited to flashback to Saturday morning in the '70s with each of these specials? Be sure to let us know in the comments.